Farming in New York? Not a problem! There are so many crazy things that a small farm on Wall Street won’t be so strange… We have $400 million average daily sales of diamonds in Diamond District, so why wouldn't we have some farm animals, right? The only thing is that in this story the bull that we will talk about is made out of bronze and it has a powerful history behind itself. Let’s do some farming, New York style! Let me show you the Charging bull of Wall Street:
Where is his farm?
So, to get to the Charging bull we will head to the south of Manhattan. More precisely we go to the very center of the financial giants and center of the World’s Stock Exchange. You are right. We are going to Wall Street. Disclaimer: No financial expert will be hurt during our visit so put the hatchet back, please. :)
What is the Charging Bull?
Charging Bull, sometimes referred to as the Wall Street Bull or the Bowling Green Bull, is a 7,100-pound (3,200 kg) bronze sculpture, standing 11 feet (3.4 m) tall and measuring 16 feet (4.9 m) long, depicts a bull, the symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity. A masterpiece! Charging Bull is a popular tourist destination that draws thousands of people a day, symbolizing Wall Street and the Financial District. It is a masterpiece of the Sicilian artist, Arturo Di Modica, in 1989 who created the statue for a very generous reason.
Why would fine people from the Financial District need a bull?
Well technically, why would anyone need a 7.100-pound bronze bull anyway, but hey! Welcome to New York City. When it came to Wall Street, it meant a lot to those who were trying to control the Stock market. Di Modica thought that they needed a reminder of the force and power that the District has. In 1987 the stock market crashed and there were very serious efforts to get the market stable again. The event is commonly known as the Black Monday stock market crash and Sicilian artists wanted to boost the spirits of the Financial experts by gifting them their spirit animal. Now, how the statue got there is a whole different story.
How did the Bull arrive at Wall Street?
In a truck... During the night... As a secret and illegally! Believe it or not, genius artist Arturo di Modica created the statue out of a pocket in his studio and with the help of his friends, secretly dropped a 3.5 tone statue in the middle of Wall Street. The act created a huge buzz around the city and, according to the media, that was the right move! A wide audience of New York heard about the event and protected the statue from being removed from the original drop point. Luckily, New York city authorities understood New Yorkers and made sure that the Charging bull became a tourist attraction. Yes, today you can see many people holding his horns and taking tons of pictures. It also triggered one more discovery. Many cultures believe that catching other parts of the bull brings luck… ahm… Yes, cojones!
But the hot staff doesn’t end up here.
Scandals and vandalism:
It seems like the media hype around our bronze buddy never stopped! The statue was a target of vandalism many times. The reason for that is that some people think the statue is a showcase of radical capitalism and it is not once that the monument was covered in red paint. One of the most radical vandalism happened In 2019, Charging Bull was vandalized twice. On September 7, a guy from Dallas struck the sculpture with a banjo, leaving a sizable dent in the horn. Yes! A BANJO! I guess you can’t have a farm without some country music. Nevertheless, Di Modica personally came to the site the following month to repair his creation. Then on October 7th, activists from Extinction Rebellion hurled fake blood over the sculpture and staged a die-in on the surrounding traffic plaza.
The bull needs no company, folks!
An interesting event happened in March 2017., when the bull got a company. Company in the form of a little bronze girl. What happened is that bronze sculptor, Kristen Visbal installed the statue in anticipation of International Women's Day. The only problem is that the statue was installed facing down the Charging bull which changed the artistic element and made a charging bull look like a villain. Di Modica proved that the statue of a girl needed to be removed and the charging bull was standing alone again. On a spot where a fantastic symbol of feminism was standing, the City placed footsteps as a reminder of what was there and information where the Fearless girl statue can be found now.
Ownership:
Here's the cha-ching part: If you want to buy a statue that is possible, believe it or not. The Charging Bull is on sale. The only condition is that the statue stays on Wall Street. If you want to buy a 3 tone statue for your foyer or living room, you can do that as well. :) Di Modica made several bronze and silver replica statues that can be purchased. Add to your cart, now!
Only in New York City, guys!